Getting away from it all

Good afternoon lovers of all things New Mexican,

A long weekend is ahead, a little snow is on Santa Fe Baldy, the leaves are at their peak and by the smell of the fireplaces burning pinon wood each evening, it feels like winter is just around the corner.

But before you get out your winter woolies, consider a trip to a southern New Mexico town where the next ten days feature daytime temperatures in the 70s and crisp desert evenings in the low 50s. It may have a funny name, but last winter Vanity Fair named it "the next Marfa" and it continues to get national attention for being one of the country's up-and-coming hip spots to hang out: Truth or Consequences.

T or C is where I go to get away from it all, even though I live in Santa Fe, which is a small, quiet town where lots of urbanites come to relax and contemplate life with a margarita in hand, scanning the surrounding open spaces. I need my own retreat.

Named after the famous 1950s radio (and eventually TV) show as a publicity stunt, T or C is three hours south of Santa Fe, so, two hours south of Albuquerque and an hour north of Las Cruces. Right off of I-25, T or C is near our largest lake, Elephant Butte Reservoir (in Elephant Butte Reservoir State Park: http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/PRD/elephant.htm) and is on the banks of the Rio Grande. Overlooking the town is the beautiful and arid Turtleback Mountain, a southern extension of the Rockies. The area, once a healing destination for Native Americans, has always been popular because of one thing: HOT WATER. Mineral-rich water pops right up out of the ground from wells as shallow as three feet that tap a giant aquifer under the town. I can attest--when I visit T or C, the very first thing I do is soak in the water. Before bed, upon waking--you really do want to be in it all the time. Nothing makes me relax faster.

On a quick trip last month to T or C I met up with journalists from the BBC documenting a cross-country trip called "Talking America" to quiz Americans on their country and the recent election. For their take of T or C, go here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/indepth/talking_america.shtml The Brits were so taken by T or C that they may be back for election night.

But from the heart, let me tell you why I love T or C, and why it's special to me. I spend a lot of time on the road in New Mexico, and there is something about T or C that feels like coming home. There's something about a heavy yellow moon rising over the desert mountains, the smell of the creosote in the desert basin rising up in the morning, friendly folks who wave on the quiet downtown streets. The light hitting pastel green, pink and lilac adobe buildings, the sense of ease in the dry air, the big sleepy Rio Grande slipping by. T or C has a sense of humor about itself. It's quirky, it's in the middle of nowhere, and it's peddling a lot of hot water. People moved there because their cars broke down at that particular exit. Just go, though, and you'll know what I'm talking about. T or C is a feeling. A good one.

For the record, I recently stayed at the Blackstone Hotsprings; with their themed rooms (think Roy Rogers and I Love Lucy) and lovely patio garden, it's a cozy spot right downtown on Austin Street http://www.blackstonehotsprings.com/. My goal for the next visit is to take a class at the Mothership Yoga Lounge. More information on a big upcoming class by guru Cyndi Lee here: http://www.ballantinesbiz.com/newmexico/NM-Mothership-Yoga-100708.html or go directly to their website: http://www.mothershipyogalounge.com/.

For a comprehensive glimpse at T or C in the Oct. 5th, 2008 New York Times article by Granville Greene, go to this link: http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/travel/05Surfacing.html?scp=1&sq=truth%20or%20consequences%20new%20mexico&st=cse

Enjoy the weekend,

Jen

The Pecos River runs through it

Greetings from another sparkling autumn day in New Mexico's high desert. A prescribed burn to thin forests near Santa Fe has put a pleasing scent and haze into the area, the sky is almost cloudless, and the leaves are genuinely beginning their change. The temperature hovers just over 70 degrees but it must have been in the 40s when I went to get the paper early this morning.

When I was a young girl I had my dad's broken down rod and spinner reel from when he was a kid within easy reach all summer. Our property in Hailey, Idaho, butted up against a small creek fed by an artesian well only two miles upstream. The little creek, a tributary to the Big Wood River, was cold all year long and full of brook trout--which, although small, are some of the finest for eating, and also one of the most beautiful varieties of trout. They are dark and densely covered in lavander and mandarin spots recircled with rings of white. Easily spooked, I'd sneak up on them after collecting grasshoppers in the timothy grass and spearing them on the small hook for bait, spending countless hours stalking trout. In no other way could I lose myself more easily.

Soonafter I took up fly fishing. When I moved to New Mexico in 2002 I planned day trips all summer in order to find the good trout water. Though I can't walk to the Pecos River the way I could to the little creek behind my old house, it is close enough. Within twenty minutes of leaving my house I am on world class waters, with a little hiking I can be completely alone, and it is almost guaranteed that with a hopper or a stimulator size 12 fly I will catch a fine New Mexico brown trout. It's almost just the same as when I was a kid wet wading under a big high desert sky.

This morning I attended a press conference where Gov. Bill Richardson announced his intentions to preserve Pecos Canyon by making it a State Park with the help of legislators and the Jemez tribe. Gathered near a brilliant stand of cottonwoods and a steady and clear Pecos River were citizens of the riverside hamlet of Pecos, employees of the Forest Service and State Parks, and others who support the designation of 35th State Park. On the drive up I was tempted by all the sweet spots I normally fish on the Pecos, and being there in that peculiarly intense fall sun reminded me how lucky I am to live here and to be part of a state that truly believes in, and makes progress in, preservation of our wild and scenic places.

NM has 34 diverse State Parks where one can find everything from sand dunes and rock art to canyonlands, rivers and lakes--even dinosaur tracks. For more information on our state parks visit this website: www.nmparks.com

Warmly,
Jen

My Private New Mexico

Hi Everyone,

I want to first introduce myself--I'm Jen Hoffman, and I'm a new addition to the Promotions Team here at the New Mexico Tourism Department.

The purpose of this blog is to keep in touch with anyone who is interested in the Land of Enchantment. It doesn't matter whether you're a resident, a visitor, a curious traveler, from Texas or Paris (and not Paris, TX). If you're into the outdoors, history, culture, great culinary adventures, art--maybe you have always wanted to come to New Mexico but haven't had good enough reason to quite yet.

I want to tell you about my private New Mexico. The day in and day out wonder of living here, the little adventures I'm lucky to go on because of my job. It's time to talk you into making a trip to a place where the most common question is Red or Green? And what we're referring to is the fragrant aroma of red or green chiles being roasted in parking lots under a massive sparkling NM sky each fall.

It's time to put on your vintage cowboy boots, get out your big turquoise and sterling jewelry (as one vendor at the Tesuque Flea Market puts it: "If you can't see it from the highway, why wear it?") http://www.tesuquepueblofleamarket.com/. Sit by a pinon-burning kiva fireplace and enjoy some of the best food in the country. Spend a day fly fishing on a tributary of the Rio Grande for cutthroat and hefty brown trout. Take a stroll on the otherworldly White Sands dunes. Check out where the films "No Country for Old Men" and "Wild Hogs" were shot. Billy the Kid. Chaco Culture. Georgia O'Keeffe Country. Art that will blow even the nation's most cutting edge metropolises out of the water.

If you want to know more about the great events and other unique opportunities for NM visitors, you're at the right place. http://www.newmexico.org/ is rich with information on everything from where to stay and play to where to meet a healer or get a spa treatment. You can always call me directly at 505 827 6674 or email me at Jennifer.Hoffman@state.nm.us.

Warmly,
Jen